Brewers Hall Of Fame Announcer Bob Uecker - Photo by the Milwaukee Brewers
MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) -Bob Uecker, one of the greatest announcers in the Brewers’ and sports history, has passed away at the age of 90.
According to a statement from the Brewers posted on X, “Today we take on the heaviest of burdens. Today, we say goodbye to our beloved friend, Bob Uecker. Ueck was the light of the Brewers, the soundtrack of our summers, the laughter in our hearts, and his passing is a profound loss. He was the heart and soul of Wisconsin and a dear friend,” and continued by saying, “Saying goodbye to Bob shakes us all. He was so much more than a Milwaukee Brewers icon. He was a national treasure.”
His family confirmed in a separate statement that Uecker had been fighting a small-cell lung cancer diagnosis since 2023 and that they’re “grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time as we grieve and celebrate the man we were so lucky to call ours.”
As the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award in 2003, Uecker was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, the Radio Hall of Fame, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the play-by-play voice of the Milwaukee Brewers from 1971 until 2024, which marked one of the longest tenures by a broadcaster with a single team in MLB history.
Known as “Mr. Baseball” by “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson during one of his roughly 100 late-night TV appearances, Uecker was a career .200 hitter who rose to fame after he starred in a series of Miller Lite commercials, the ABC sitcom “Mr. Belvedere,” and the “Major League” film trilogy.
The Milwaukee Brewers retired Uecker’s number 50 in 2006 to commemorate his 50th year in Major League Baseball. His two statues at American Family Field, including one in the last row of the Terrace Level (Section 422), pay tribute to Uecker’s famous Miller Lite “All Stars” ad campaign, in which he would proclaim, “I must be in the front row!” only to be sent to the last row.
The family has yet to reveal funeral details, and the team has not formally announced any special events at American Family Field in honor of Uecker for the upcoming season.
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